Bears History Says Matt Nagy's First Draft Pick Likely Predicts His Future

Ryan Pace made it clear he's the one picking the players for the Chicago Bears in the draft. That will not change. At the same time, he's said from the beginning that all picks are made in collaboration with the coaching staff. So new head coach Matt Nagy will have direct input on the players selected. That is why this upcoming draft is so interesting. People may not know this but Bears history has a funny way of being interconnected. Specifically this is true in regards to head coaches and their first ever draft picks. Almost universally the player that each coach picked became a symbol for his tenure. It might be hard to believe but just look at the list going back to the drafts' inception in 1936.

• John Fox:  Kevin White
• Marc Trestman:  Kyle Long
• Lovie Smith:  Tommie Harris
• Dick Jauron:  Cade McNown
• Dave Wannstedt:  Curtis Conway
• Mike Ditka:  Jim McMahon
• Neill Armstrong:  Brad Shearer
• Jack Pardee:  Walter Payton*
• Abe Gibron:  Lionel Antoine
• Jim Dooley:  Mike Hull
• Paddy Driscoll:  Menan Schriewer
• Hunk Anderson/Luke Johnsos:  Frankie Albert
• George Halas:  Joe Stydahar

Look at this list and connect the dots. Kevin White is looking like one of the biggest draft disappointments in Bears history. John Fox had the second-worst winning percentage among any head coach they've had. By contrast George Halas picked a Hall of Famer in Joe Stydahar. Mike Ditka picked Pro Bowler Jim McMahon. The big exception is Jack Pardee taking Walter Payton but that doesn't count because Pardee resigned after his third year.

Matt Nagy proved he can build a staff but can he recognize talent?

The good news is it looks like Nagy has an eye for talent. Well coaching talent at least. He was smart enough to retain Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator. Also the hires of Harry Hiestand and Mark Helfrich to his offensive staff show tons of promise. Of course recognizing coaches and players are two different things. At this point it's impossible to know whether Nagy understands what the truly good ones look like. That said there is reason for optimism. Since Nagy took over as offensive coordinator in Kansas City, the Chiefs scored big twice in later rounds on offensive players. In 2016 they swiped receiver Tyreek Hill in the fifth round. This past April they scooped running back Kareem Hunt in the third. Both are Pro Bowlers. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Kareem-Hunt-Takes-OVER-w-206-Total-Yards-2-TDs-Chargers-vs.-Chiefs-Wk-15-Player-Highlights.mp4"][/video] Combined with Pace, who's had some success recently it stands to reason the Bears might be in good shape. Still, their run of luck with early picks has been scattered of late. White was a dud. Floyd is good but can't stay healthy. Trubisky remains an unknown. Nagy has to help them remove any doubts by scoring a big hit with his first crack.